The bed assembly of pickup trucks typically include a horizontally large floor, the lengthwise extending side edges being joined to upright inner side walls, and the transverse front edge being joined to an upright front wall. The horizontally large floor is normally constructed from multiple pieces or panels, including a main or center floor panel extending the full length of the bed and having a width which is generally slightly less than the width between the wheel well openings. The floor also includes side floor panels which extend sidewardly between the center floor panel and the adjacent inner side walls. The side floor panels typically have wheel well openings formed therein, and wheel well housings close the openings and are secured to the side floor panels and the adjacent upright inner side walls.
In a conventional bed assembly, similar to that summarized above, the floor panels are conventionally stamped or pressed from thin metal sheet so as to provide the floor panels with a plurality of generally parallel ribs which extend lengthwise of the bed to provide appropriate strength and stiffening. In recent years, many of the floor panels, particularly at least the center floor panel, are roll-formed to provide improved performance characteristics both with respect to strength and economy.
In the construction of a bed assembly employing a floor defined by multiple floor panels, as summarized above, it is conventional to provide the lengthwise extending edges of the floor panels, where such edges abut, such as where the outer longitudinal side edges of the center panel abut the respective inner longitudinal side edges of the side floor panel, with downward flanges which preferably extend lengthwise of the floor panel. These flanges are positioned to substantially abut one another during assembly of the floor and are fixedly joined, such as by welding. These edge flanges, due to their being turned downwardly relative to the horizontal orientation of the floor panel, provide significantly increased strength and rigidity to the floor. However, these downward flanges create significant interference problems at locations where they cross the underlying cross rails. For example, in constructions where the flanges protrude downwardly from the base or lower level of the ribbed floor panel, the flanges must be notched throughout the height thereof at locations corresponding to the cross rails so as to eliminate interference. This severe notching of the flanges, however, creates an obvious and undesirable weakness in the floor at this area, and in addition requires additional manufacturing operations and manipulations.
To improve on the undesired weakening created by notching the downward flanges associated with the base level of the floor, another construction has been developed wherein the edge flanges on the floor panels are formed so as to protrude downwardly from the top wall level associated with the floor panel ribs. That is, the floor panels are formed so that the longitudinal edges define partial upwardly-protruding ribs, and the edge flange then protrudes downwardly from the top wall of this edge rib. The edge flange, however, typically has a width (i.e. height) which is greater than the height of the ribs formed in the floor panel, so that the edge flange still requires that a portion of the height thereof be removed or recessed to provide appropriate clearance for the cross rails when the floor is fixedly seated thereon. This construction does provide at least some partial edge flange extending along the entire length of the floor panel and provides improved strength and rigidity. This latter construction, however, results in the seam, namely the line created where the longitudinally adjacent edge flanges abut, being disposed in a raised rib, rather than in a valley between adjacent ribs, and it has been suggested that this causes the seam to be more visible and less aesthetically desirable when incorporated into the finished vehicle bed assembly.
In a continuing effort to improve on the above construction, particularly as it relates to the fixed joining of longitudinal edges between sidewardly adjacent floor panels, it has also been suggested to provide a small notch transversely across the top of the cross rail so as to accommodate therein the edge flanges of the floor panels. While such notch does provide improved characteristics with respect to the construction of the floor panels and hence makes it unnecessary to notch or recess the edge flanges, nevertheless the presence of the notch in the cross rail provides a reduction in the strength and integrity of the cross rail.
In a known construction of the type employing a notch or depression in the cross rail, the cross rail is suitably shaped so that the notch or depression opens downwardly from the upper surface thereof at a location below the edge flanges of the floor panels, with the forming of the notch or depression also causing a downward deformation of the top flanges on the cross rail. With this known construction, however, while this does provide improved clearance for the edge flanges of the floor panels, nevertheless the depression also reduces the available contact between the floor panels and the top flanges of the cross rail with respect to permitting proper spot welding therebetween. This known construction hence typically only permits spot welding in close proximity to the edge flanges along one side thereof between the cross rail and one of the floor panels. On the other floor panel, however, there is insufficient contact between the base of the floor panel and the top flange of the cross rail to permit spot welding in close proximity to the edge flanges, and hence the spot weld is typically provided a substantial transverse distance from the edge flange, namely on the other side of the adjacent upstanding rib which is closest to the edge flange. The spot welds associated with the adjacent floor panels, which spot welds attempt to sidewardly straddle the seam defined by the adjacent edge flanges, are hence widely spaced apart and this impacts the strength and integrity of the joint.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved bed construction for a vehicle, such as a pickup truck, which construction addresses the problems summarized above and provides an improved constructional relationship between the floor, as defined by a plurality of floor panels, and its fixed association with and support by a plurality of underlying cross rails.
More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved bed assembly for a pickup truck having a horizontally large bed or floor defined by a plurality of separate floor panels, preferably a main center floor panel which extends sidewardly between and joins to right and left side floor panels, the latter defining therein right and left wheel well openings respectively. The floor panels are supported on and fixedly secured to a plurality of cross rails which extend transversely under the floor, which cross rails conventionally have an upwardly-opening hat-shaped cross section. At least the main center floor panel is preferably provided with a plurality of upwardly-protruding reinforcing ribs extending lengthwise of the panel, with the ribs being disposed in generally parallel but sidewardly spaced relationship. The opposite longitudinally-extending side edges of the center floor panel are defined by the base wall of the center panel, that is, the floor elevation which corresponds to the valley between adjacent ribs, and are additionally provided with a downwardly-cantilevered edge flange formed so as to extend substantially continuously lengthwise therealong. The edge flange typically has a width (i.e. height) which is greater than the height of the ribs relative to the base wall. Similar such edge flanges are formed on and extend lengthwise along the inner longitudinal side edges of the right and left floor panels, whereby the opposed edge flanges abut and are secured together, such as by a plurality of spot welds, to rigidly join the floor panels together. When joined together, the seam defined at the abutting side edges of the floor panels is disposed at the base of the floor, rather than in the top of a rib. To accommodate the significant downward protrusion of the adjacent abutting edge flanges, each cross rail at a location corresponding to the edge flanges is provided with a smoothly configured depression formed downwardly from the upper surface thereof. The depressions are formed in the cross rails by deforming the upper portion of the cross rail, while not effecting any significant material removal, whereby the top flanges of the hat-shaped cross rail extend continuously throughout the length of the cross rail and, at the region of the depression, are smoothly and gradually deformed downwardly and then upwardly in a continuous and smooth manner so as to create the depression while at the same time maintaining the continuous lengthwise-extension of the top flanges while maintaining them free of abrupt corners or directional changes. The hat-shaped cross section of the cross rail is hence maintained at all locations throughout the length thereof, even in the region of the depression, whereby the depression readily accommodates the downwardly protruding abutting edge flanges on the floor panels while at the same time the cross rail maintains a high level of strength and structural integrity. The depressions in the cross rails can be formed by reshaping of the cross rail in a suitable stamping or forming die. Alternatively, roll forming of the cross rails is preferred, and use of a variable roll forming process can be adopted to permit forming of the depressions in the cross rails during the roll forming thereof.
In the improved construction, as aforesaid, the down-turned abutting edge flanges, where they transversely intersect the cross rails, can be provided with a shallow recess opening upwardly from the lower free edge of the respective edge flange to provide sufficient clearance between the edge flange and cross rail, thereby minimizing the required depth of the depression, which in turn minimizes the extent of the depression in the lengthwise direction of the cross rail. The recess preferably has a depth which is less than one-half the height of the edge flange to maintain the lengthwise continuity of the edge flange along the floor panel, and hence maintain desired strength and rigidity lengthwise along this edge.
In the improved bed construction of the present invention, as aforesaid, the center floor panel is preferably provided with depressions formed at select locations in the raised ribs so as to facilitate securement of the center floor panel to the cross rails, such as by spot welding. More specifically, the outermost rib located adjacent each longitudinal side edge of the center floor panel, at locations corresponding to the cross rails, is preferably deformed downwardly to create a deformed region which opens inwardly from the base floor adjacent the longitudinal side edge and which is substantially coplanar therewith. This depression enables the depressed wall to engage upper surfaces of the cross rail top flanges directly adjacent one end of the depression so as to permit spot welding to the top flanges. This provides desired strength and rigidity with respect to connection of the center floor panel to the cross rails, while at the same time enabling the depressions to extend lengthwise of the cross rail through a sufficient extent to permit a gradual change in curvature of the cross rail top flanges throughout the length of the depression, thereby minimizing the effect of the depression on the structural characteristics of the cross rail.
Other objects and purposes of the present invention will be apparent to persons familiar with constructions of this type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The word “front” as used in association with the floor or bed assembly will be used to designate that end which is closest to the front of the vehicle. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the bed assembly and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.